Skeletons found in ruins of Pompeii reveal deaths from earthquake, not just the ancient eruption of Mount Vesuvius
MILAN (AP) — The discovery of two skeletons buried under a collapsed wall at the Pompeii archaeological site points to deaths from powerful earthquakes that accompanied the devastating eruption of Vesuvius in the first century, experts said Tuesday, in addition to victims of volcanic explosions. ash and gas.
The two skeletons, believed to be men at least 55 years old, were found in the insula of the Casti Amanti, under a wall that collapsed before the area was covered with volcanic material. The area was undergoing reconstruction at the time of the 79 AD eruption, following an earthquake a few days earlier.
“In recent years, we have realized that violent, powerful seismic events were occurring at the time of the eruption,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park.
New archaeological techniques and methodologies “allow us to better understand the inferno that, in two days, completely destroyed the city of Pompeii, killing many inhabitants,” he added, making it possible to understand the dynamics of deaths up to to be determined in the last seconds.
Over the past 250 years, more than 1,300 victims have been found at the archaeological site south of Naples.